From the Flames

he said, yeah, of course, you can audition,” and the rest is history.

Of course, replacing a singer like Charlotte Wessels was going to be a challenging task. “Replacing a lead singer is never easy,” said Diana. “But I have faith in the music that Martijn and Guus wrote. I knew that even with the change of the lead singer, the Delain DNA will still be there, and people could hear that even if the vocals are different.”

But how have the Delain fans responded to the changes so far?

“We played the first official show in November when I had the confirmation from the people that were there that still love the band. They’re so into it, and they’re so excited for the future,” explains Diana. “So that gave me really positive support, and of course, gave me a lot of self-esteem. It made me believe more in myself and in the fact that I can actually do this.”

Delain has a new album called Dark Waters. This is the first release to feature the band’s regrouped line-up. But was the band concerned about maintaining the continuity of sound on their latest offering due to the differing in personnel?

“To be very honest, I never worried about it for a second because making the album to me was business as usual,” explains Martijn.

“Of course, some things are different. And I think the previous members of the band have great talents and they’re great musicians. So, I’m not wanting to diminish that at all. But the way Delain worked was that Guus and I simply wrote the bulk of the music. So automatically the sound then is there. So, I had not a second of worry there.” He adds: “I think Diana did an amazing job with singing on the record and really put herself into it. But at the same time, not doing things that wouldn’t fit Delain. So, I’m really happy with that.”

Touring is very much on the band’s agenda for 2023, which will include a small run of UK shows. “I’m so grateful that I’m allowed to be on stage again, and I’m not taking it for granted. We’re taking it a little bit carefully this year. Because then people can get acquainted with touring; some people never toured before. But also because of the COVID aftereffects,” explains Martijn. “We did our first shows already, and they were fantastic. I will never forget them. Therefore, we are also already working on the second tour. I’m also thinking of doing a dedicated UK and Ireland Tour in 2024. That’s still a year away. But it needs preparations. But yeah, going to more cities in England, Scotland and perhaps also Wales. So yeah, let’s see.”

Dark Waters by Delain is out now via Napalm Records. The band will be touring throughout the UK during April.

Words: Adam Kennedy